The Role of Biomaterials on Cancer Stem Cell Enrichment and Behavior

The theory of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their role in cancer metastasis, tumorigenicity and resistance to therapy is slowly shifting the emphasis on the search for cancer cure: more evidence is surfacing that a successful therapy should be geared against this rare cancer cell population. Unfortunately, CSCs are difficult to culture in vitro which severely limits the progress of CSC research. This review gives a brief overview of CSCs and their microenvironment, with particular focus on studies that used in vitro biomaterial-based models and biomaterial/CSC interfaces for the enrichment of CSCs. Biomaterial properties relevant to CSC behaviors are also addressed. While the discussed research field is still in its infancy, it appears that in vitro cancer models that include a biomaterial can support CSC enrichment and this has proved indispensable to the study of their biology as well as the development of novel cancer therapies.